When I was asked to speak to you today, one of the questions was - how long have you been an artist? This is an interesting question to me, and I used to say, "Since 1977, when I graduated from college." But after a while I realized the real answer was: "All my life." I really can't remember a time when I wasn't painting or drawing, and even though I've tried different careers, I've never really wanted to do anything else. So -- here I am!

I do have a formal education in art - I have a bachelor's degree in graphic design - but I have to admit that most of what I've learned, I've learned by teaching others. I've been teaching watercolor and drawing classes to adults for about eight years now, and it has been a truly amazing experience. I think I have learned far more about the process of making art from my students than they will ever learn from me. I just found out that some of you are art students yourselves, so let me join your teacher in saying -- "thank you!"

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... Michele Frantz, the programs director for the Prince William Art Society, admits abstract art challenges her. Yet the Society introduces a new forum for its artists every year, so she helped orchestrate a workshop called "Driven to Abstraction" in February....

... Frantz decided her voyage into the abstract would not run as deep [as some of the other artists']. "It's a painting about paint," Frantz said about blending red and orange in a watercolor she toyed with ... a week before the show.

The full-time artist, who teaches to bolster her income, concentrated on the techniques of composition. Usually Frantz paints flowers without missing a bud of pollen, yet with this watercolor she is enlarging her subjects beyond recognition. For this work in progess she used [as a subject] the light prisms hanging in her studio window.

... Frantz and the group want to let others in on their thinking process, so they will tack cards with a brief explanation next to each piece. "Help people understand," [said one artist], "and they won't be afraid of abstract art."

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Four artists, 'Four Seasons'
It wasn't glamorous work.
       The four women whose paintings make up the art exhibit "Four Seasons" at the Center for the Arts in Old Town Manassas didn't just turn their pieces over to a gallery and magically wait for the birth of a handsome show.
       Instead, the four -- Barbara Allinson, Michele Frantz, Janet Hansen and Roxanne Steed -- showed up at the center on Feb. 28, the day before the exhibit was to open, and put their paintings in a big pile.
       ... When they finished at 10 that night, eight hours after starting, the women stepped back and admired their work. "It turned out to be more of a major event," said Frantz of putting the exhibit together. "It was tiring, but we enjoyed it."
       Now, the four are hoping the public will enjoy it, too. ... "Each of us had talked about doing our own exhibition," Frantz said. "We thought our work went well together and would make a nice-looking show." Although they paint in different styles, the women share a similar sensibililty, Frantz said.
       One of the attractions of the exhibit is the number of local landscapes depicted. In the spring room, [Frantz] hung her paintings "The Old Rose Garden," which is at Sudley Manor, and "Jennie Dean Church". In the winter room, Frantz shows her "Snow Closings," a painting of a barn off Bristow Road covered in snow.
       What surprised the women was how well the paintings fit together. Allinson's "Imperial Summit" matches up well with Frantz's "Early Snow" in the winter room. In the fall hallway, Steed's "September View from Henry Hill" was complemented by Frantz's "Touch of Gold." And so on.
       Frantz admits she has a favorite room. With the official start of a new season only nine days away, the paintings in the spring room anticipate the coming period of warmth and sunshine. But she hopes viewers will "respond to the moods" of all the rooms.
       The four also would like "Four Seasons" to bring more exposure to area artists. The Manassas Art Guild has more than 30 members and there is some good work to be found, Allinson said.
       Frantz agreed.
       The "Four Seasons" artists "have been at it for some time, now" Frantz said. "I'm hoping people are aware that there are some professional-quality artists in this area."

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... A jury of guild members screened the entries, leaving about 30 to vie for six awards ... including one $50 cash prize for Best of Show. The awards might not seem like much, but Frantz said support for the arts has dwindled as people from all walks of life have tightened their budgets ... "Every penny helps at this point. We got a donation of two dollars once, and it was like, 'whoah!'" Frantz said, laughing.

Two paintings received Awards of Merit, [including] "Water Ways," a watercolor of waterfowl in Veterans Park by Frantz.